We refer to the combination of Initial Access and Execution tactics as those of pre-intrusion, i.e. those which an attacker can use to gain access to the target network.
In 5G networks we identify several access points which could serve as attack vectors for network intrusion.
Within the core network, NFs adopt common protocols and become accessible via RESTful APIs.
The APIs exposed to external networks, such as that of the NEF and UPF provide a new attack vector to the 5GCN, such as those identified by the Open Web Application Security Project (OWASP) [1]} and security concerns over the use of REST APIs [2]}.
Trust relationships within 5G networks introduce significant security challenges [3]}.
This includes trusted relationships between home and visited networks in the roaming scenario, distributed network components across MEC deployments, third party applications and services, and between NFs belonging to different network slices.
Attack scenarios where trusted relationships with roaming partners and between network slices are exploited have already been identified [4]}, [5]}.
External remote services such as those provided by the MANO component provide important functions to network operators but also introduce attack vectors to provide access to the 5G network such as through the use of valid user accounts.
